Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway


Just west of Las Vegas, the limestone cliffs and alpine forested peaks of the lofty Spring Mountains rise unmistakably above the Mojave Desert. This modern, state-of-the-art interpretive center featuring educational dioramas, exhibits and artworks should be your first port of call for explorations into the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area section of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Rangers are on hand to steer you toward your ideal forest experience.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park

15.66 MILES

The Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, originally a ranch established in the 1860s and once owned by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, offers nature…

3. Desert National Wildlife Refuge

17.28 MILES

The Las Vegas Valley may be home to over 2 million humans, but it's right next to an immense region home only to big horn sheep, mountain lions, eagles,…

5. Rampart Casino

17.93 MILES

Popular with a well-to-do older crowd, this high-end local's casino is only a short drive from the Strip, but feels worlds away.

6. Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs

18.15 MILES

A huge, water-filled oasis, Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs is 680 acres of vegetation, wildlife and history in northwest Las Vegas. The large ponds…

7. Gilcrease Orchard

19.03 MILES

Long before golf courses, lawns and palm trees filled Las Vegas with greenery, there were a few farmers who eked out lives here in the tough Mojave Desert…

8. Boomtown 1905

23.32 MILES

A permanent outdoor exhibit at the expansive Springs Preserve, Boomtown 1905 re-creates the architecture of Las Vegas in the year the city was founded,…